Daichendt Lasts Three Months at Nortel

The Gary Daichendt era at Nortel(NT) ended Friday after three months when the former Cisco(CSCO) No. 2 resigned, citing style differences with CEO Bill Owens.

Daichendt was named president and chief operating officer of Nortel in early March. Gary Kunis, Nortel's chief technology officer and a lieutenant to Daichendt at Cisco, also left the Ontario-based network gear maker.

Daichendt will be succeeded by Owens, who is also the company's vice chairman. Owen praised Daichendt's contribution but said, "It has become apparent to Gary and me, however, that we have divergent management styles and our business views differ."

A management drama is probably not what Nortel investors were hoping to hear about one year after the company ousted its CEO and several other executives amid a bonus-and-accounting scandal.

Daichendt was head of worldwide operations at Cisco before he resigned in December 2000. He had also served on the board of Oxnard, Calif.-based Chromux, an optical-equipment shop, and has been a director at Walk Thru The Bible, a Christian leadership organization.

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